Chain and the manufacture thereof



(No Model.)

A. SHEDLOOK. I CHAIN AND THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF. N0. 492,439 PatentedFeb. '28, 189.3.

4W ,A, 47 @MW, WM

ASHINQTON ALFRED SI-IEDLOOK, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

CHAIN AND THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 492,439, datedFebruary 28, 1893..

Application filed June 7, 1892.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED SHnDLooK, a citizen of the United States,residing at J ersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-MetalChains and in the Manufacture of the Same, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of myinvention is to reduce the cost of manufacture ofchains, the links of which are cut solid from sheet metal, and to thisend the invention consists in an improved method or process of cuttingthe links or link-blanks from a sheet or strip of metal whereby asubstantial saving of material results.

The invention further consists in an improved sheet metal chain-link andblank and the chain made therefrom. The improved method of cutting thelinks from the sheets and the chain made from said links are hereinafterparticularly described and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in which- Figurel is a plan View showing the manner in which the linksor blanks are cut from a strip of sheetmetal; Fig. 2 a detail viewillustrating the two styles of chain link blanks that result from themethod of cutting shown in Fig.1 and Fig. 3 shows short lengths of twosizes of chain made from link-blanks such as shown in Fig. 2.

In chains of this class the link-blanks are narrowest at the middle andbroad at the end portions in which the eyes are formed. The blanks aresymmetrically shaped, that is, each side or edge inclines or curves fromthe outer end toward the middle as seen in Fig. 2 which illustrates twostyles of link blanks. Ordinarily in cutting such blanks from a sheet ofmetal there is a waste of the material that is cut away from each sideof the blank to give the required formation thereto. The object of thefirst part of my invention is to obviate this waste of material and tothis end I cut the blanks from a strip of metal in a peculiar and novelmanner.

In Fig. 1,A indicates a strip of metal of sufiicient width to out twoseries of blanks therefrom. The blanks are marked B B and as cut fromthe strip are distorted or irregularly shaped and are subsequently bentor Serial No. 435,913. (No model.)

reduced to the required symmetrical form, as shown, for instance in Fig.2. Each straight edge I) of the strip of metal forms a straight side oredge of one of the distorted link blanks and the opposite edge 0 of theblank is inclined or curved inwardly as shown, from both ends, but to agreater extent than is required in the completed blank. The adjoiningends 1, 1, of two blanks on one side of the metal strip lie opposite themiddle portion 2 of a blank cut from the other side of the strip, andthe curved or inclined side edges of the ends of the two first mentionedblanks follow the lines of the side edges of the end portions of thesecond mentioned blank. The material occupying the space d between theends of two adjoining blanks is cut away and constitutes the only scrapor waste resulting from this method of cutting except the waste dueto'the cutting of the usual eyes, but in the event that another featureof my invention, presently described, is employed the loss due to thescrap or wasteis further reduced. The distorted blanks thus formed arecompressed or bent edgewise into the desired and usual symmetrical shapein which both side edges incline or curve from the outer ends toward themiddle. This operation may be accomplished by means of any suitableapparatus. The waste due to the cutting outof the eyes is incidental tomy method of cutting blanks as thus far described, as well to theordinary methods of cutting. The order of the steps performed in cuttingblanks according to my method is not a material or essential part of theinvention;

In addition to the above, however, I effect a further economy inmaterial and form the blanks for two sizes of chain at the same time,and by so doing entirely avoid any waste on account of the eyes in thelarger blanks. To accomplish this the blanks for the smaller chain arecut out of the central or interior portions of the large blanks leavingtherein a correspondingly shaped opening f, (Fig. 1.) This part of myinvention is shown in connection with the method of cut ting the blanksalready described, though it is not necessarily dependent upon it. As

illustrated the small blanks G are distorted in shape conforminggenerally as they do to the shape of the larger blanks, and the smallerblanks are therefore to be bent or compressed edgewise into thesymmetrical shape seen in links there is no scrap or waste whatever,eX-.

cept the material that is cut from between the ends of adjoining links,there being no waste whatever at the sides or on account of the eyes;and as regards the smaller links there is no waste except that due tothe for-' The order in which the mation of the eyes. diiferentoperations are performed is not a material or essential part of theinvention, though I should prefer to first cut in the strip A theapertures e which will ultimately form the eyes of the smaller links.Any suitable apparatus may be employed.

With regard to the second part of my invention last described, the stripof metal may of course be wider and permit the cutting of more than oneinterior blank from each large blank. The larger blanks when their sidesare compressed toward each other and they are bent edgewise into thesymmetrical shape shown in Fig. 2 willbe of the same shape as that ofstandard sheet metalchain now on the market and will not bedistinguished therefrom "exceptby the central line a: where the twoinn-er edges of the middle portions of the blanks are brought together.The smaller links are not distinguished from the links made in theordinary manner.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a short section Y of chain formed from the largerblanks B, and also a section Z of chain formed from the smaller blanksG, the blanks being doubled upon themselves to form the links as is wellunderstood.

Where interior blanks are not cut from larger blanks the latter blanksmay be cut in the distorted shape indicated, but they will then onlyneed to be bent edgewise to bring them to the proper form.

Of course if desired and where rendered desirable by reason of anypeculiarity of a metal from which the links are cut a small margin ofwaste may be left between the sides of the links B B.

I claim as my invention 1. The herein described method of cutting andforming sheet metal chain-link blanks, having like ends with eyestherein,'from a sheet or strip of metal, which consists in cutting twolines or series of blanks from the strip, the outer edge of each blankin each series b'eing straight, or substantially so, and the inner oradjacent edges of the blanks each inclined or curved from each endtoward the middle portion thereof, and the adjoining ends of blanks inone series lying opposite the middle portion of a blank in the oppositeseries, and then bending the distorted blanks thus produced edgewiseinto the desired symmetrical shape, substantially as set forth.

2. The herein described method of cutting sheet metal chain-link blankshaving like ends with eyes therein, of two sizes from a sheet or stripof metal, which consists in cutting large blanks from the strip andsmaller blanks from the interior or central portions of the largerblanks, and then pressing the sides of the larger blanks inwardly ortoward each other to give the blanks the desired symmetrical shape.

3. The herein described method of cutting and forming two sizes of sheetmetal chainlink blanks, having like ends with eyes therein, from a sheetor strip of metal, which consists in cutting large blanks from the stripand smaller blanks from the interior or central portions of the largerblanks and then compressing the larger blanks edgewise to bring theinner edges of their middle portions together, substantially as setforth.

4E. The herein described method of cutting and forming sheet-metalchain-link blanks, having like ends with eyes the-rein, from a sheet orstrip of metal, which consists in cutting two parallel lines or seriesof large blanks from the strip, the outer edge of each blank in eachseries being straight or substantially so, and the inner adjacent edgesof said blanks being each inclined or curved from each end toward themiddle portion thereof, and the adjoining ends of blanks in one serieslying opposite the middleportionof a blank in the opposite series, andcutting correspondingly shaped smaller blanks from the interior orcentral portions of the larger blanks, substantially as set forth.

5. The herein described method of cutting and forming sheet metalchain-link blanks, having like ends with eyes therein, from a sheet orstrip of metal, which consists in cutting two parallel lines'orseries oflarge blanks from the strip, the outer edge of each blank in each seriesbeing straight or substantially so, and the inner adjacent edgesof saidblanks being each inclined or curved from each end toward the middleportion thereof,and the adjoining ends of blanks in one series lyingopposite the middle portion of abla-nk in the opposite series andcutting correspondingly shaped smaller blanks from the interior orcentral portions of the larger blanks, and then compressing and bendingthe larger links edgewise, and bending the smaller links edgewise intothe desired symmetrical shape, substantially as set forth.

6. A sheet metal chain-link blank having its central or interior portion'cut out from end to end, and its middle portion compressed edgewise tobring its inner edges together 'or substantially so, the inner edges ofthe end portions being left open or separated to form the eyes.

7. Asheet metal chain link having an openloop, the inner edges of theend portions be- :0 ing left open or separated to form the eyes.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ALFRED SHEDLOGK.

Witnesses:

FRANK S. OBER, EDWARD O. DAVIDSON.

